Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has provided an injury update on one of his key players after the EFL Cup defeat at the hands of Brentford.
Villa's poor start continues against the Bees
Villa finally found the back of the net on Tuesday night, after failing to score in their opening four Premier League games, but Harvey Elliott's first goal for the club didn't count for much, with Brentford ultimately progressing in the EFL Cup.
After a 1-1 draw in normal time, the Bees progressed on penalties, with John McGinn and Matty Cash both missing from the spot, meaning Emery's side are still searching for their first victory of the campaign.
Emery has been forced to make do without a number of his key players already this season, with the likes of Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans spending time on the sidelines, but there has now been a promising new update on the latter player.
Reporter Jacob Tanswell subsequently confirmed that Emery is also optimistic that Tielemans could return before the next international break, with the Villa boss stating the central midfielder is likely to be out for one or two more weeks.
Tielemans' return will be boost for Aston Villa
With the Belgian ruled out against Brentford, Lamare Bogarde was given the nod in central midfield, but the 21-year-old was unable to impact the game in the way he would've liked, being shown a yellow card before being replaced by Kamara in the 74th minute.
Tielemans, on the other hand, has been a vitally important player for the Villans over the course of the past two seasons, playing a major role in Emery's side qualifying for the Champions League and Europa League by regularly providing goals and assists in the Premier League.
Season Premier League appearances Goal contributions
2023-24 32 9
2024-25 36 10
The 28-year-old was also arguably Villa's most consistent player in the Premier League last season, averaging a 7.38 SofaScore match rating across the campaign, which was by far the highest of any player in the squad.
Emery is under no illusions as to just how important the Belgium international is to his side either, saying last season: "He is really doing fantastic work. He is very, very professional. The mentality he has, really I appreciate in the highest level we can achieve."
Youri-Tielemans
As such, it is promising news that Tielemans is set to return within the next two weeks, but it appears as though Aston Villa will have to do without the £150k-a-week midfielder when they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this Sunday.